Container



'Dec. 10, 1957 A. v. BLATZ ET AL 2,815,880

CONTAINER Filed March 17, 1955 4 Sheet s-Sheet 1 -lli6 I 1 1 1 1 I/INVENTbRSI' Alberi V.Blatz BY Howard HJYeedham ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 10, 1957 A. v. BLAT'Z ETAL 2,815,880

zzvwsmoxs: Albert M BZcLfz BY Howard H.Needham ATTORHEYs Dec. 10, 1957Filed March 1'7, 1955 A. V. BLAT Z ET- AL 2,815,880

CONTAINER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.5.' 5 Z5 Z4 FIG. 7. 6

INVENTORS: Albert MBlatz BY Howard HZNeea'ham ATTORN EYS.

Dec. 10; 1957 A. V. BLATZ ET AL CONTAINER Filed March 17, 1955 4Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS'IV' Albert 1/. Blafz BY Howard H. Needham q'abu q Attorneys United States Patent F coNrAlNER Albert V. Blatz,Thiensville, and Howard H. Needhain,

Wauwatosa, Wis., assignors to A. 0. Smith Corporalion, Milwaukee, Wis, acorporation of New York Application March 17, 1955, Serial No. 494,873

Claims. (Cl. 220-4 shipping synthetic rubber or like materials from theproducer to the consumer. The rubber is manufactured in the form ofcakes or bales which may weight 70 pounds or more. Because of the formand weight of the material, and because of its cold fiowcharacteristics, the

baled material tends to flow outwardly under the pressure of its ownWeight. This is especially true when a number of bales are stackedvertically forshipping.

Prior to storage or shipping, the bales have usually been dusted withtalc or soap-stone, or placed in polyethylene covers and then placed instrong multi-Wall paper cartons or bags which hold as many as thirtybales. The purpose of talc dusting or polyethylene covers has been toprevent the bales from sticking to the container. Polyethylene covers,although more expensive, have been heretofore preferred to talc dustingbecause the paper cartons have allowed the bales to cold How to such adegree that they broke through the talc surface and adhered to thecontainer.

The use of paper containers has not proved satisfactory due to thesubstantial bulging pressure of the bales. Frequently a paper containerruptures, allowing the rubber or other material to flowinto the boxcaronthe like with a resulting contamination of the rubber. Due tosynthetic rubbers unusual characteristics, it has been found diificult,if not impossible, to retrieve the rubber, and then only at greatexpense.

In addition, the bulging and flowing of the .plastic material within thecartons prevents the latter from maintaining uniform externaldimensions, thus producing substantial handling problems. Furthermore,the large cartons have not been acceptable for storing in commercialwarehouses.

Another disadvantage 'of paper bags and cartons is that they are notreusable, and previous types of containers made from metal, fiberboardor the like have proved too costly.

Furthermore, to the knowledge of the inventors, no container has beenmade heretofore from which it was relatively simple to remove therubber. When paper containers were used, they necessarily bad to 'bedestroyed in order to remove the bales. It has not been feasible to liftthe rubber out of more rigid containers vertically; and no means hadbeen found heretofore to :easily remove the side panels of suchcontainers since the bulging pressure of the rubbertended totighten 'thejoint connecting the side panels withthe base member or pallet.

Thus, the problems were to develop a re-usable metal container ofsuflicient rigidity and strength to withstand all cold flow, toeliminate the need for the more costly plastic film wrap, and to permithigh stacking in warehouses. The container had to be of comparativelylight 2,8153% Patented Dec. it), 1%557 weight to hold returntransportation costs to a minimum, easily assembled and disassembled,and so close fitting that the cold flowing material could find no exitor crevice to fiow through.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by providing alight-weight collapsible metal container of novel construction which isstrong enough to withstan'd'the bul'ging'forcesand weight of over athousand pounds of plastic or fine granulated material, has interlockingfeatures which seal the container to prevent leakage of the materialstored therein, and yet is sufiiciently light in weight and compact whendisassembled to make it economical to return it to the manufacturer forre-use. Handling problems are substantially reduced and removal of therubber after shipment is facilitated.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the best mode presentlycontemplated by the inventor for carrying out the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an assembled container constructed inaccordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the container in disassembled form and nestedfor storage or return shipment;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the bottom pallet of the containerwithparts broken away;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the pallet;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a corner portion of the container;

Fig. 6 is a broken'vertical section through one side of the containertaken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is ahorizontal section through a corner of the container taken online 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the method of assembly ordiassembly of the container and with parts broken away and sectioned;and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of an inside lower corner ofthe assembled container.

As shown in the drawings, the container, when assembled, comprisesabottom panel or pallet 1, a pair of.side

panels 2 and a pair of end panels 3 which are joined .to-

gether in a manner to be described to form a generally rectangularbox-like structure with an open top. Pallet 1, side panels 2 and endpanels 3 are formed of thin-gauge drawn extruded aluminum, steel and itsalloys, or other suitable ferrous or non-ferrous metals which providesufficient strength and are light in weight.

To provide the container with the necessary strength and ridigidty aseries of horizontally extending corrugations 4 and a peripheralcorrugation 5 are formed in both the pallet 1 and the panels 2 and 3.Corrugations 4 extend to and into peripheral corrugation 5 to provide unbroken longitudinal and transverse support of the panels.

Drawn panels are used to gain the additional strength due to the coldworking of the metal as well as to provide fiat surfaces adjacent theedges of the panels .to simplify the attachment of extruded orfabricated interlocks.

Additional reinforcement of side panels 2 is provided by a plurality ofcorrugated ribs 6 which are welded to the outer surface of the panels.Ribs 6 extend vertically of the central portion ofeach .of the-.sidepanels 2 and adjacent the verticaledge of each side and end panel. Theribs-6'not only serve toreinforce panels 2 and 3 but inaddition'transmit super-imposed loadsto pallet 1 when the containers arevertically stacked.

Skid support and means for stacking a number of containers verticallyisprovided byflanged channel members 7 secured tothe lower surface ofpallet 1 adjacent and midway between'the longitudinal edges thereof.Channel members 7 extend the entire length of pallet 1. Internal supportfor channels 7 may be provided by spaced wooden blocks 8 disposedtherein.

Support blocks 9 are suitably secured to the underside of channels 7,with each of the blocks secured to the outer channels 7 having alongitudinal cut-out 10 to provide for vertical stacking of a number ofcontainers, to be described hereinafter. Buffers may be secured to theouter vertical surface of outer channels 7 to protect the channelsduring handling.

To provide for assembly of the container, a socket member 11 having agenerally U-shaped cross-section is welded or otherwise secured to eachedge of the pallet 1. The outer edge portion of each socket member 11 isdefined by an inwardly curved upwardly extending flange forming theouter socket wall and with the flange having a rounded or curvedoverhang 12 or lip to facilitate locking the sides of the container tothe pallet. The inner edge or wall portion of each socket is extended toabout the same height as the outer portion and is generally concave.

The four socket members 11 come together at the corners of the containerto form tight-mitered joints, as seen in Figs. 3 and 9.

To attach the side panels 2 and end panels 3 to pallet 1, a tubulartongue member 13 is secured to the lower edge of each panel and isadapted to fit within the corresponding socket member 11.

The tongue members 13 have a generally convex rounded inner surface andare shaped to complement the socket members 11. Each member 13 isprovided with a rounded outer surface having a projecting nose 14 whichextends the length of the tongue member and is adapted to be engagedbeneath the overhang 12 within socket 11 to lock the panels to thepallet when the panels are rotated to a vertical position. In addition,the inner edge portion of each socket engages the longitudinal tangentline of the rounded inner surface of tongue 13 to help seal thecontainer.

As best seen in Fig. 6, tongue members 13 are provided with upwardlyextending flanges 15 which are spot welded to the outside of therespective panels. In addition, the lower extremities of the ribs 6 areoutwardly ofl set, as indicated by 16, to receive the flanges 15. Theflanges 15 are also welded to the flanges of ribs 6.

To reinforce the upper portion of the panels 2 and 3, tubular members 17are secured to the upper edges of each panel and to the upper ends ofribs 6. Members 17 are provided with downwardly extending flanges 18which are received within a clearance between the offset upper portion19 of ribs 6 and the outer surface of the panel.

The flanges 18 are secured to ribs 6 and the panels by weld ing or thelike. Members 17 are adapted to be received within the cut-outs 10 inblock 9 on the bottom of the upper adjacent container so that a numberof containers may be stacked vertically without any substantialhorizontal shifting of the containers during transit.

The flat upper surfaces of members 17 provide a supporting surface forthe container stacked above, and the vertical loads are transmitted frommembers 17 downwardly through the side panels and ribs 6 to pallet 1. Inaddition, lateral stitfness of the container is increased by supportmembers 17.

To provide a seal between the adjoining vertical edges of the panels 2and 3, a channel or tongue member 20 is secured to the vertical edges ofeach panel 3. Each channel member 20 is provided with an inwardlyextending flange 21 which is Welded flatwise to the respective side edgeportions of the end panel.

The open end of each channel member 20 faces outwardy toward thecorresponding side panel 2 and is received within the open end of avertically extending channel member 22 which is secured to the adjacentvertical edge of the side panel 2. Each channel member 22 is providedwith a flange 23 which is welded flatwise to the respective side portionof the side panel 2.

The vertical edge portions 24 of the corrugated ribs 6 disposed adjacentthe side edges of end panels 3 are welded flatwise to the outer flangeof channel member 20 while the vertical edge portions 25 of the ribs 6secured adjacent the side edges of side panels 2 are bent generallynormal to the body of ribs and are welded flatwise to the outer flangeof channel member 22.

On assembly of the container, as the panels are pivoted upwardly to avertical position, the channel members 20 and the corresponding attachedrib edge portion 24 are received within the open end of channel members22 to provide an interlocking seal between the side panels 2 and the endpanels 3.

The inner flange of channel 22 extends down to the tangent line oftongue 13 and when each panel is in a vertical position, the end of theflange engages the inner edge or flange portion of socket 11, therebysealing the container against leakage.

To assemble the container, end panels 3 are placed horizontally withtongues 13 in registry with sockets 11. As the panels are pivotedupwardly to a vertical position tongues 13 are received and lockedwithin sockets 11 by the engagement of nose 14 with the overhangingportion 12 of the socket. Side panels 2 are then placed horizontallywith similar tongue-to-socket alignment, and as they are pivotedupwardly to a Vertical position tongues 13 are interlocked with thecorresponding sockets 11 and channel members 20 are interlocked withchannel members 22. The inside flange of channel 22 is fitted to theinside rounded surface of tongue 13 so that an inside seal is obtainedat the corners which effectively prevents the escape of any of thematerial.

On end panels 3, the ends of tongues 13 are cut away and contoured sothat the tongues on the side panels 2 will fit into the contour of thefirst-mentioned tongues upon assembly of the container.

To additionally secure the side panels together, a strap 26 of anysuitable material, preferably metal, may be secured around the upperoutside portion of the container. This may best be done by providing anouter groove 27 in members 17 so that strap 26 will fit therein and maybe wrapped around the upper portion of the container.

After assembly of the container, the bales of plastic material or othermaterial to be contained are placed therein, and a number of containersare stacked vertically in a railroad car or other shipping space forshipment to the consumer. The containers are sufliciently strong toprevent bulging due to the outward pressure of the material. They arealso light in weight so that both shipping and return costs are reducedto a minimum.

Upon arrival at their destination, the containers may be easily storedor quickly disassembled for removal of the material therein. Strap 26 isremoved and side panels 2 are pivoted downwardly to a horizontalposition and removed. Then end panels 3 are similarly lowered andremoved from pallet 1.

All of the movement of the side panels and end panels upon disassemblyis outwardly and downwardly away from the material, no vertical orinward movement being necessary. This is highly advantageous incomparison with the prior structures, for the movement of the panels iswith the direction of flow of the material rather than against it. Thecurved overhang 12 complements the curvature of tongue member 13 tosubstantially prevent binding of the hinge joint due to any outwardpressure exerted adjacent the base of the panels by the flowablcmaterial within the container.

The above described construction of the containers together with theirlight weight, facilitate their return to the shipper for further use.Figure 2 shows how the container may be shipped when not in use. As canbe seen, a substantial number of collapsed containers may be shipped inthe space required for one assembled container,

The invention provides a novel container which is light in weight andyet strong enough to contain and support very heavy loads. Theconstruction of the container allows it to be easily handled by pick-upforks or the like, and to be easily stacked and readily disassembled forunloading and return shipment. The joints between the panels and thepallet and between the panels themselves seal the container against anybut liquid leakage, and at the same time strengthen the container.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingWithin the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

We claim:

1. A collapsible shipping container comprising, a rectangular basepallet, support means secured to the underside of said pallet, aplurality of socket members provided on the pallet adjacent the edgesthereof, a plurality of vertical wall panels corresponding in number tothe edges of the pallet, a tongue member provided on the lower edge ofeach of said panels, said tongue member having a generally convexrounded inner surface and being shaped to be received within thecorresponding socket member and hingedly connect said panel with saidpallet, the inner edge portion of the corresponding socket engaging thelongitudinal tangent line of the rounded surface of said tongue uponassembly of the container to seal the joint between said pallet and thelower edge portion of each panel, a channel member provided on eachvertical edge portion of two opposite and facing panels, a sealingmember having a cross-sectional dimension to fit within said channelmember and provided on each vertical edge portion of the other twopanels, said sealing member being received Within the correspondingchannel member when the panels are hingedly raised to an uprightposition, said tongue and socket members engaging said sealing andchannel members upon assembly to provide a seal therebetween and preventoutward leakage of the material stored within the container, means forremovably securing each panel to the adjacent panel to maintain thepanels in an upright position and retain the sealing engagementtherebetween, and means secured to the top edges of said panels andengageable with the support means of a similar vertically superimposedcontainer to vertically align said containers.

2. A collapsible container for shipping solid or semisolid material orthe like comprising, a rectangular base pallet, lower support meanssecured to the underside of said pallet and provided with a recesstherein, a plurality of socket members secured to the pallet adjacentthe edges thereof, a plurality of vertical wall panels corresponding innumber to the edges of the pallet, a tongue member secured to the loweredge of each of said panels and having a generally convex rounded inneredge, said tongue member being shaped to be received within thecorresponding socket member and hingedly connect said panel with saidpallet with the inner edge portion of the corresponding socket engagingthe longitudinal tangent line of the rounded surface of said tongue uponassembly of the container to seal the joint between said pallet and thelower edge portion of each panel, a channel member secured to eachvertical edge portion of two opposite and facing panels, a secondchannel member of smaller crosssectional dimension than said firstchannel member and secured to each vertical edge portion of the othertwo panels, said first and second channel members being disposed to faceeach other at the corners of the container with said second channelmember being received within the corresponding first channel member whenthe panels are hingedly raised to an upright position, said channelsinterfitting with said tongue members and engaging said socket membersupon assembly to provide a seal therebetween and prevent outward leakageof the material stored within the container, a top support membersecured to the upper edge of each of said panels and disposed to engagethe recess formed in the lower support 2,s15,sso

means of asimilar vertically superimposed container to vertically alignsaid containers, a plurality of ribs secured to the panels and extendingbetween the tongue means and the corresponding top support member totransfer the load of the superimposed container to the pallet of thelower container, and means for removably securing each panel to theadjacent panel to maintain the panels in an upright position and retainthe sealing engagement therebetween.

3. A collapsible container for shipping plastic material or the likecomprising, a rectangular base pallet, a plurality of socket memberssecured to the pallet adjacent the edges thereof, a plurality ofvertical wall panels corresponding in number to the edges of the pallet,a tongue member secured to the lower edge of each of said panels, saidtongue member being shaped to be received within the correspondingsocket member and hingedly connect said panel with said pallet, achannel member secured to each vertical edge portion of two opposite andfacing panels, a second channel member of smaller crosssectionaldimension than said first channel member and secured to each verticaledge portion of the other two panels, said first and second channelmembers being disposed to face each other at the corners of thecontainer with said second channel member being received within thecorresponding first channel member when the panels are hingedly raisedto an upright position, said tongue and socket members interfitting withsaid channels upon assembly in sealing engagement to prevent outwardleakage of the material stored within the container, and means forremovably securing each panel to the adjacent panel to maintain thepanels in an upright position and retain the sealing engagementtherebetween.

4-. A collapsible storage container comprising, a generally rectangularbase pallet, a plurality of wall panels, connecting means for hingedlyconnecting said wall panels to the respective side edges of the palletwith said connecting means being continuous and extending the length ofeach side edge of the pallet to provide a seal between the pallet andthe lower edge of the corresponding wall panel, a channel member securedto each vertical side edge portion of opposite and facing panels andextending the length of the respective side edge, each of said channelmembers having a web and a pair of side flanges with the web disposedgenerally normal to the face of the corresponding panel, a secondchannel member secured to each vertical side edge portion of the othertwo panels and extending the length of the respective side edge, each ofsaid second channel members having a pair of side flanges and having aweb of greater dimension than the web of said first channel member withsaid second web disposed generally parallel to the face of thecorresponding panel, a vertical rib connecting the outer side flange ofeach of said first channel members and the outer face of thecorresponding panel, and a second vertical rib connecting the outer sideflange of each of said second channel members and the outer face of thecorresponding panel, said first and second channel members beingdisposed to face each other at the corner of the container with thefirst channel member and the portion of the attached rib secured theretobeing received between the side flanges of the adjacent second channelmember as the panels are hingedly raised to an upright position toprovide a sealing engagement between adjacent panels.

5. In a thin-walled container for receiving a coldfiowable material, agenerally rectangular pallet having a recess extending along a side edgeportion thereof, an inwardly curved upwardly extending flange formingthe outer socket wall of said recess, a curved lip extending along theupper edge portion of said flange, a panel forming a wall of thecontainer and having a lower edge portion shaped to be receivable withinthe recess when the panel is disposed in a substantially horizontalplane and pivotable within the recess as the panel is pivoted to asubstantially vertical plane, the lower edge portion of said panelhaving a rounded outer surface fitting in said recess when said panel isin said vertical plane and with said 7 lower edge portion having agenerally convex rounded inner surface, means response to the pivotalmovement of said panel for locking the panel against vertical andlateral displacement with respect to said pallet when said panel is in avertical plane, and means associated with the recess for preventing thepanel from pivoting beyond a substantially vertical plane, the innerWall of said recess constituting a flange extending upwardly from thepallet and complementing the rounded inner surface of the lower edgeportion of said panel to provide a seal between the pallet and thepanel, said curved lip being complemented by the lower edge portion ofsaid panel whereby binding of the joint caused by outward loads exertedadjacent the base of the panel by the cold-fiowable material within thecontainer is substantially prevented and outward pivoting of the panelis thereby facilitated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,206,090 Carper et al Nov. 28, 1916 1,671,051 Soderquist May 22, 19281,686,222 Adler Oct. 2, 1928 2,643,788 Burrows June 30, 1953 2,658,647Stoner Nov. 10, 1953 2,717,093 Mautner Sept. 6, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTSGreat Britain Feb. 21, 1951

